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Johannesburg - Suppliers involved in the
country's meat labelling scandal could face fines or time in jail, it was
reported on Monday.

"In terms of the Consumer Protection
Act, there are severe repercussions for these suppliers," trade and
industry spokesperson Sidwell Medupe told The Citizen newspaper.

Under the act, it was an offence for anyone
to alter, obscure, falsify, remove or omit a displayed price, labelling or
trade description without authority.

Punishment included fines of up to R10m or
10 years in prison.

A University of Stellenbosch study recently
found that nearly 60% of 139 products tested contained ingredients which were
not listed on their labels, including donkey, water buffalo, goat and pork.

The City Press newspaper reported on Sunday
that popular supermarkets including PicknPay, Shoprite, Fruit and Veg City,
Woolworths and Spar have been identified as stocking incorrectly labelled meat
products.

The Citizen reported that a Consumer
Commission report into the meat labelling scandal would be made public within
three months.

Consumer Goods Council of SA food safety
head Ronel Burger said the council was convinced that the contamination was
limited to DNA traces.

"Our members have nothing to
hide," she said.

Safety for consumers

Action should be taken against those found
to be involved in the country's meat labelling scandal, Parliament's portfolio
committee on agriculture said.

"We call for harsher punitive measures
against all those involved in this scandal, be it the butchery or the
retailer," chairperson Lulu Johnson said in a statement.

"Much as we call for food security in
the country, we equally call for food safety for our consumers."

Johnson also called for the return of
health inspectors.

He said the committee would also look at
several laws such as the Meat Safety Act and the Consumer Protection Act to
find out if they are being "enforced accordingly" to ensure sustainable
safe and healthy goods.

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